Social Media Guidelines

These are the official guidelines governing the use of social media at Lehigh Valley Health Network and by health network employees, affiliated medical/allied health staff and contractors. For the purposes of these guidelines, social media refers to any user-generated content or online network to which you might contribute. These guidelines will continually evolve as technologies and social networking tools change and emerge.

“Official” Lehigh Valley Health Network Participation

Participation in social media on behalf of Lehigh Valley Health Network is officially managed and coordinated by the marketing and public affairs department. Any official communications made on behalf of the health network must be trafficked through this department.

Access

Social networking provides a number of benefits in which our health network colleagues may wish to participate during their own time. Inside our health network, access is restricted. You may not participate in social media from a network computer.

Personal Participation

Lehigh Valley Health Network fully respects the legal rights of our employees, affiliated medical/allied health staff and contractors. In general, what you do on your own time is your business. However, activities in or outside of work that affect your job performance, the performance of others, our health network’s reputation or the privacy of our patients are subject to health network policy.

When a Lehigh Valley Health Network colleague or affiliated physician chooses to participate in social media and their association with our health network is apparent, they are expected to behave appropriately and in ways that are consistent with our Code of Conduct and PRIDE behaviors. Simply, Lehigh Valley Health Network colleagues should remember that the same basic policies apply in social media as they do any other areas of their lives. The purpose of these guidelines is to help colleagues understand how our health network’s policies apply to these online communications.

Lehigh Valley Health Network Social Media Guidelines

1. Always protect patient privacy! Never reveal any information that would make the identity of a patient apparent. Always abide by all HIPAA regulations.
2. Follow all applicable health network policies. For example, know and follow our Code of Conduct and PRIDE Behaviors.
3. Identify yourself—name and role at our health network—when you discuss our health network or network-related matters. Write in the first person. You must make it clear that you are speaking for yourself and not on behalf of Lehigh Valley Health Network.
4. You are personally responsible for the content you publish on blogs, wikis, social networks or any other form of user-generated media. Be aware that what you publish will be public and often cannot be edited or removed.
5. Use a disclaimer. If you publish content to any website outside of Lehigh Valley Health Network and it has something to do with work you do or subjects associated with our network, use a disclaimer such as: "The postings on this site are my own and do not necessarily represent Lehigh Valley Health Network,” or “The views expressed [here; on this blog; website] are my own and do not reflect the views of my employer.” Use a personal email address (not your lvh.com address) as your primary means of identification and contact.
6. Respect copyright, fair use and financial disclosure laws. This includes not violating Lehigh Valley Health Network’s copyright.
7. Don’t disclose confidential information. Don't provide our health network’s or another's confidential or other proprietary information. Don't cite or reference clients, partners or suppliers without their approval. When you do make a reference, link back to the source where possible.
8. Perception is reality. Be aware of your association with our health network in social media. If you identify yourself as a Lehigh Valley Health Network employee. Ensure your profile and related content is consistent with how you wish to present yourself with colleagues and patients. In social media, the lines between public and private, personal and professional are blurred. By identifying yourself as a Lehigh Valley Health Network employee, you are creating perceptions about Lehigh Valley Health Network that are viewed by our patients, customers and the general public—and perceptions about you by your colleagues and managers. Use good judgment and strive for accuracy. If you choose to identify your association with our health network, be sure that all content associated with you is consistent with your work and with our health network’s values and professional standards.
9. Contact Marketing and Public Affairs if you have any questions or if you are unsure about something you plan to publish.

Other Helpful Reminders for Establishing Your Social Media Presence

• Protect your privacy.
• Respect your audience.
• Don't use ethnic slurs, personal insults, obscenity, or engage in any conduct that would not be acceptable in Lehigh Valley Health Network’s workplace.
• Show proper consideration for others' privacy and for topics that may be considered objectionable or inflammatory.

Important
Managers, executives, and medical/allied health staff take note:

The standard disclaimer does not by itself exempt Lehigh Valley Health Network managers and executives from a special responsibility when blogging or engaging in social media. By virtue of their position, they must consider whether personal thoughts they publish may be misunderstood as expressing official Lehigh Valley Health Network positions. Any manager should assume that his or her team will read what is written.

Your Voice as an Advocate in Social Media

Lehigh Valley Health Network supports open dialogue and the exchange of ideas. We regard blogs and other forms of social media as primarily a form of communication and relationship among individuals. When our organization wishes to communicate publicly as an organization, it has well-established ways to do so. Only those officially designated by Lehigh Valley Health Network have the authorization to speak on behalf of the organization. However, our health network believes in dialogue among health network colleagues and with our partners, clients, community members and the general public. Such dialogue is inherent in our commitment to transparency. We believe that our colleagues can both derive and provide important benefits from exchanges of perspective.

One of our core values is "trust and personal responsibility in all relationships. As an organization, Lehigh Valley Health Network trusts—and expects—colleagues to exercise personal responsibility whenever they participate in social media. This includes not violating the trust of those with whom they are engaging. Health network colleagues should not use these media for covert marketing or public relations. If and when members of our health network’s media relations, marketing, public affairs or other functions engage in advocacy for the organization through social media, they should identify themselves as such.

What does a colleague’s personal responsibility mean in online social media activities? Online social media enables individuals to share their insights, express their opinions and share information within the context of a globally distributed conversation. Each tool and medium has proper and improper uses. While Lehigh Valley Health Network encourages all colleagues to join online conversation, it is important for colleagues who choose to do so to understand what is recommended, expected and required when they discuss health network-related topics.

Be who you are. Some bloggers work anonymously, using pseudonyms or false screen names. Lehigh Valley Health Network discourages that in blogs, wikis or other forms of online participation that relates to the health network, our business or issues with which the organization is engaged. We believe in transparency and honesty. If you are blogging about your work for our health network, we encourage you to use your real name, be clear who you are, and identify that you work for us. Nothing gains you more notice in the online social media environment than honesty—or dishonesty. If you have a vested interest in something you are discussing, be the first to point it out. Also be smart about protecting yourself and your privacy. What you publish will be around for a long time, so consider the content carefully and also be judicious in disclosing personal details.

Be thoughtful about how you present yourself in online social networks. The lines between public and private, personal and professional are blurred in online social networks. By virtue of identifying yourself as a health network colleague within a social network, you are now connected to your colleagues, managers and even our health network’s clients. You should ensure that content associated with you is consistent with your work at our health network. If you have joined our health network recently, be sure to update your social profiles to reflect network guidelines.

Don’t engage in online fights. When you see misrepresentations made about Lehigh Valley Health Network by media, analysts or by other bloggers, you may certainly use your blog—or join someone else's—to point that out. Always do so with respect, stick to the facts and identify your appropriate affiliation to our health network. Also, if you speak about a competitor, you must make sure that what you say is factual and that it does not disparage the competitor. Avoid unnecessary or unproductive arguments. Here and in other areas of public discussion, make sure that what you are saying is factually correct.

Use your best judgment. Remember that there are always consequences to what you publish. If you're about to publish something that makes you even the slightest bit uncomfortable, review the suggestions above. If you're still unsure, and it is related to Lehigh Valley Health Network business, feel free to discuss it with your manager. Ultimately, however, you have sole responsibility for what you post to your blog or publish in any form of online social media.

This page last updated 7/21/09 12:44 PM